School of Marine Sciences
Department of Marine Biotechnology
India occupies a strategic position in the Indian Ocean, with a large Exclusive Economic Zone, EEZ of about 2.172 million square kilometers in the area along 7500 Km coastal line, shelf area of 1,641,514 KM2. A major challenge facing India in the 21st century is to continue to advance in science to provide for the sustainable development and management of this vast realm. There is a need for well trained marine scientists in a range of disciplines within India. As Marine Biotechnology is interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary subject, Department of Marine Biotechnology was newly created as per the syndicate resolution 2008.176. dt.18.9 2008. Department offers 2 year M.Sc. Programme on Marine Biotechnology, and M.Phil and Ph.D Programmes in Microbial Biotechnology.
Mission: Creating an arena for bioprospecting of marine organisms through innovative teaching and research.
Vision: To develop high quality human resource required for both academics and industries as well as to pursue research in the frontier areas of biomedical sciences of international standard
National Facility for Marine Cyanobacteria (NFMC)
The oceans and seas cover more than three-quarters of the earth's surface. Marine organisms account for a major share of the Earth's biological resources. The demands of the marine environment have led these organisms to evolve unique structures, metabolic pathways, reproductive systems, and sensory and defence mechanisms. Many of these same properties have important potential applications in the terrestrial world.
In spite of the sea's vast potential as a source of new biotechnologies, this domain remains relatively unexplored. Hence the main focus of the department is to impart quality education and train students in marine biotechnology including field visit. Hence the main focus is to impart quality education to students and give them hands-on training in Marine Biotechnology encompassing fields like Physical, chemical and biological oceanography, marine biodiversity, marine microbial technology and aqua culture.
Centre for Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics has gained momentum with the progress of genome sequencing projects. From human to cyanobacteria, the genome sequences have made a pivotal role in biological research. Cyanobacteriology, is the central dogma as it is the first oxygenating organism bridging the gap between pro and eukaryotes. This bioinformatics DBT, Govt of India center is set up to update cyanobacterial genome sequences to enhance the biotechnological exploitation of cyanobacteria and carryout gene sequencing for Indian marine cyanobacterial isolates.